Golf marker and sign



p 1965 R. G. MILOSCH 3,204,599

GOLF MARKER AND SIGN Filed April 10. 1962 3/-\ LL 26 1 Ha H/\/ 7m 2 INVENTOR. ROBERT 6. MILOSCH 7-76.} BY

lJ/L 501v, SETTLE 2 CRAIG #TTORNEKS United States Patent O 3,204,599 GOLF MARKER AND SIGN Robert G. Milosch, 12774 Maxwell Road, Carlton, Mich. Filed Apr. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 186,470 3 Claims. ((31. 116-114) This invention relates to a golf marker and sign and more particularly to a combination of a flagpole for a golf course green, the flagpole having a flag at the upper end and a marker adjacent the lower end for accurate location of the golf ball cup by a golfer, the marker at the lower'end further serving as a sign.

It hasbeen common practice in the past to provide a flag mounted on a flagpole for each green of a golf course. The flag is positioned at the upper end of the flagpole and the lower end of the pole is removably received in the golf ball cup to normally maintain the flag at an upright position wherein the flag can be seen from a considerable distance by golfers. The flag serves sev eral functions. Firstly, the hole number is provided thereon to properly identify each hole. Secondly, when viewed from a distance, the flag serves to show the golfer the location of the green so that the golfer can hit his ball directly towards the green. Finally, the flagpole is supposed to show the golfer the exact location of the golf ball cup when the golfer is relatively close to the green and desires to aim his ball at the cup rather than the green generally. It is, however, diflicult for a golfer to follow the line of the pole to its base when golfer is, for example, fifty yards or more from the green. The pole, because of its relative thinness, tends to be invisible when viewed from such a distance. The golfer can consequently line his shot up with the hole but cannot tell the exact depth of the hole on the green and will thus tend to overshoot or undershoot the cup.

In addition to the above, it is a difficult problem in the management of golf courses to maintain the greens in topnotch condition. One of the problems in the maintenance of greens is the scars on the greens, referred to as ball marks, which result from golf balls landing on the green. Normally, scars will not occur if the damage is repaired immediately by the golfer. However, if not repaired immediately, a permanent scar will develop and will require reseeding or resodding by golf course personnel. Such scars are not only unsightly but also make an uneven surface and deflect the golf ball from a true course of travel.

One way to alleviate this situation is to remind the golfer to repair his ball marks. Such reminders are most effective when placed on signs adjacent the greens. However, such signs cannot be installed directly on the green and if placed adjacent to the green would create an undesirable hazard.

The present invention solves the above two problems by providing a marker in combination with the usual flagpole, the marker being placed adjacent the base of the flagpole and being of a size which can be seen for a considerable distance to thereby exactly locate the hole for the golfer. The marker in addition has a surface upon which a sign can be conveniently printed to convey reminders regarding proper golf course etiquette to golfers.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a golf ball hole locating structure including a flagpole with a flag at the upper end visible from a relatively long distance to give the general location of a green and a marker adjacent the lower end of the pole to coact with the flag as a depth indicator and show the golfer the exact location of the hole on the green.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a marker having indicia provided on the exterior surface thereof to remind golfers of golf course etiquette, such as repairing ball marks on the green.

3,204,599 Patented Sept. 7, 1965 A further object of the invention is to provide a marker having curved exterior surfaces so that when the marker is laid on the green it will not have sharp edges to damage the grass.

Another object of the invention is to provide a marker which may be mounted on flagpoles having different diameters.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention shown installed on a golf course green;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the marker and flagpole of FIGURE 1 shown partially in section for the purpose of clarity; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the marker and flagpole assembly of FIGURE 1.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing,

since the invention is capable of other embodiments and' of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen. in FIGURE 1 that the golf marker device 10 comprises an elongated pole 12 having secured at the upper end thereof a flag 14. The flag 14 bears indicia indicating the number of the hole. The lower end of the flagpole 12 is inserted into a cup 16 on the green 18. As is conventional, the pole 12 may be removed from the cup 16 when the golf ball to be putted is close to the cup to thereby permit the ball to fall into the cup.

A marker 20 is mounted on the pole 12 adjacent the lower end thereof. It is recommended that the marker 20 be positioned approximately fifteen inches from the lower end of the pole 12. The marker is thus close enough to the cup 16 to indicate to a golfer the exact position of the cup but is far enough above the ground level to be visible at a considerable distance from the green, for example, for over two hundred yards away.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the construction of the marker 20 and the means for mounting it on the pole 12. The marker 20 has a generally cylindrical configuration with rounded corners or edges. The exact configuration shown is not necessary, and other configurations may be employed as desired. However, it is preferred to have a curved exterior surface for the marker in order to prevent the presence of sharp edges or corners which could damage the grass of the green when the pole is laid down.

The marker 20 comprises a pair of sections 28, 30 which are fused together along flanges 3.2, 33 to form the complete cylinder. The cylinder comprises an outer cylindrical side wall 34 with rounded upper and. lower walls 24, 26 connected to an inner tubular member 36. The tubular member 36 is open ended to permit the passage of the pole 12 therethr-ough. As will be noted, the inner diameter of the tubular member 36 is considerably larger than the diameter of the pole 12. This permits the passage of poles of larger diameter than the pole 12 through the tubular member 36. Consequently, the marker 20 may be mounted on many different sized poles.

The marker 20 is retained on the pole 12 by means of a pair of resilient grommets 38, 38'. The grommets 38, 38' have an opening 42 therethrough to exactly fit over the pole 12. The outer side walls 44 of the grommets are conically shaped. In mounting the marker 20, the grommets are forced along the pole until the side walls 44 tightly engage the edge portions 46, 48 of the tubular member 36. As will be noted, the edge portions 46, 48 are curved to provide good surface contact with the grommets. The grommets are preferably fabricated of rubber and the frictional engagement thereof with the pole 12 is sufficient to retain the marker 20 in position on the pole. The frictional engagement is increased by the pressure of the edge portions 46, 48 against the outer surface of the grommets.

Referring to FIGURE 3, it will be seen that a reminder sign has been provided on the marker 20. The sign states Please Repair Your Ball Mark. Other reminders may, of course, be applied to the marker. However, this particular reminder is considered to be very important because the lack of repair of ball marks constitutes a major problem in maintenance of greens. The sign is desirably provided on two different faces of the marker so that it will be visible from all angles.

The marker 20 is shown as being fabricated from a plastic material. The use of plastic is desirable because of its cheapness and ease of fabrication. However, other suitable materials such as metal may be used to fabricate the marker if desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A golf course green marking device comprising an elongated flagpole having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end being for reception in a golf ball cup to detachably mount the pole in an upright position in line with the cup, a flag carried on the upper end of the pole to indicate the location of the green, and a marker carried on the pole near the lower end thereof to coact with the flag to form a depth indicator for indicating the exact location of the cup, said marker comprising a body having an opening therethrough of larger diameter than the diameter of the pole, said pole extending through said opening, a pair of grommets each having an opening therethrough with a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the pole, said grommets being fabricated of a resilient material, one of said grommets being slidingly received on the pole above said marker body and the other of said grommets being slidingly received on the pole below said marker body, said grommets being in frictional engagement with the pole and abutting against the marker body to thereby retain the marker body in the desired position on the pole, said marker body having an outer surface for the provision of indicia thereon, the marker being of a size to be visible at a distance of about two hundred yards.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 and further characterized in that the outer surface of the marker body is curved to thereby eliminate the existence of sharp edges and prevent damage to a golf course green when the marker body comes in contact therewith.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 and further characterized in that each of said grommets has a conically configured exterior, the apex of each grommet extending into the marker body opening with the exterior surface of each grommet being pressed tightly against the marker body to thereby increase the degree of frictional engagement of the grommets with the pole.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 216,282 6/79 McHenry 248-414 558,820 4/96 Larkins 116-132 663,761 12/00 Johnson 273-34 1,807,089 5/31 Parsons et a1. 273-34 1,970,624 8/34 Recker 248-337 2,267,573 12/41 Pietrkowski 116-132 2,522,495 9/50 Ballagh 29-236 2,660,822 12/53 Hargus 40-2 2,684,245 7/54 Jacoby 273-34 2,699,140 1/55 Fisher 116-114 2,706,462 4/55 Evans 116-28 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,822 1907 Great Britain. 2,682 1861 Great Britain. 251,222 1912 Germany.

LOUIS I. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FOLT COURSE GREEN MARKING DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLAGPOLE HAVING AN UPPER END AND A LOWER END, THE LOWER END BEING FOR RECEPTION IN A GOLF BALL CUP TO DETACHABLY MOUNT THE POLE IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION IN LINE WITH THE CUP, A FLAG CARRIED ON THE UPPER END OF THE POLE TO INDICATE THE LOCATION OF THE GREEN, AND A MAKER CARRIED ON THE POLE NEAR THE LOWER END THEREOF TO COACT WITH THE FLAG TO FORM A DEPTH INDICATOR FOR INDICATING THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE CUP, SAID MARKER COMPRISING A BODY HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH OF LARGER DIAMETER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE POLE, SAID POLE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENING, A PAIR OF GROMMETS EACH HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH WITH A DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF THE POLE, SAID GROMMETS BEING FABRICATED OF A RESILIENT MATERAIL, ONE OF SAID GROMMETS BEING SLIDINGLY RECEIVED ON THE POLE ABOVE SAID MARKER BODY AND THE OTHER OF SAID GROMMETS BEING SLIDINGLY RECEIVED ON THE POLE BELOW SAID MARKER BODY, SAID GROMMETS BEING IN FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE POLE AND ABUTTING AGAINST THE MARKER BODY TO THEREBY RETAIN THE MARKER BODY IN THE DESIRED POSITION ON THE POLE, SAID MARKER BODY HAVING AN OUTER SURFACE FOR THE PROVISION OF INDICIA THEREON, THE MARKER BEING OF A SIZE TO BE VISIBLE AT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT TWO HUNDRED YARDS. 